Slide fastener



Dec. 21, 1954 R. l. PRuPls ETAL SLIDE FASTENER Filed NOV. 14. 1950 4 Sheets-$heet l A AV A A A A A hqgAvAvAv FIEJ INVENTORS Dec. 2l, 1954 R. PRuPls VE1' AL SLIDE FASTENER 4 $heets-$heet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1950 INVENToRs Roasm l. pawns me ALBERT BASHOVER ATTQRNEYS Dec. 2l, 1954 R. l. PRUPls ETAL SLIDE FASTENER Filed Nov. 14. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 T 6 4m 5/ M L". n. n n A v G 5 xalan Lyn.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 21, 1954 R. P'RuPls ETAL 2,697,227

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Nov. 14. w50

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1N V EN TORS ROBERT L PRUPIS Ann 95 ALBERT BASHQVER s@ 7a I: 'El' I8 A-rTomNsvs SLIDE FASTENER and Albert Bashover, Conmar Products Corpora- Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 14, 1.950, Serial No. 195,652 2 Claims.y (Cl. 2234) Robert I. Prupis, West Orange,

Newark, N. J., assignors to tion,

This invention relates to the application of slide fasteners to garment closures.

n ne of the methods commonly employed in applying slide fasteners to garments having closures, such as iiy fronts in trousers, is Shown in U. S. Letters Patent to Markin Number 2,155,795, granted April 25, 1939. The garment manufacturer purchases pre-cut or individual the elements. the stringers are then Stapled or otherwise connected together.

htsmethod has a number of limitations and disadvan` the standard practice of slide fastener manufacturers to produce fasteners in lengths having. one-half inch multiples; that is, seveny inches, Seven and one-half inches, eight inches, etc. The garment manufacturer must be ready for variance in length of the fly fronts from lot to lot and' therefore must Stock many' lengths. Moreover, many` trouser ily fronts require slide fasteners having lengths to toleran e as close aS one-eighth or even onecostly.

Because of the foregoing it has been suggestedr that instead' of attaching a pre-cut Stringer to a ily Strip, a continuous or substantially endless length of. slide fastenerl Stringer or chain chain is' used to refer to a pair of meshed or interlocked stringers) be attached or sewn to a series of similar fly Strips.

Stringer attached thereto. Only the required' length of Stringer for a particulary length of fly strip would' have to` be used. It no longer would be necessary for the garment manufacturer to stock the many dilferent Standard" pre-cut lengths.` of fasteners; Furthermore, the' additional labor required to shorten a standard lengthv of fastener to: the1 exact length. required would be no longer necessary'.

However, thev problem is notso easily Solved', because' therev is a need for tape ends devoid' of fastener' eleseparate stringers sewn to ily strips asirst described above, eachv Stringer isl providedl with a tape end, that is. to say a Sectionof the Stringer opposite the bottom4 portion of a Hy' strip `1s devoid of fastener ele-pL wereV directlyf sewnl down to the.

2,697,227 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 proposal therefore has not been dustry. Indeed, the proposed process is completely unworkable and worthless without tape ends.

In accordance with our invention, tape ends are provided by removing a group of fastener elements from the gap-less Stringer or chain after the Stringer or chain in continuous length form has been sewn to the fly Strips. Preferably, the formation, of the tape ends is accomplished by a simple cutting or chopping operation through the tape near the edge to which the fastener elements are length of tape end.

To accomplish the foregoing objects, and other objects which will hereinafter appear, our invention resides in the novel method and means for providing slide fastener closures for garments as are hereinafter more particularly described inthe following Specification, and sought to be defined in the claims. The Specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are plan views illustrating steps in a method for providing a plurality of outer y Strips with appropriate lengths of attachedV Stringer from a continuousor substantially endless length of Stringer;

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged cross-section taken approximately in the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a finished fly strip having a Stringer of appropriate length sewn thereto, said Stringer being provided with a tape endg,

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the Steps in the method for provi ing inner ily strips with appropriate lengths of attached Stringer and tape ends from a continuous length of Stringer;

Figs. 8 and' 9 show another form of the invention, wherein the iiy- Strips are provided with appropriate lengths of Stringer from continuous chain, that is, a meshed pair of stringers;

with the method illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the second Stringer having been prepared for attachment to an inner fly Strip; l

Fig. l1 isa perspective view showing still another form of the invention wherein both the inner and outer ily strips have stringers attached thereto from continuous chain;

Fig. 12 is a greatly enlarged cross-section taken approximately in the plane of line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 134 is a view similar to Fig. 12 showing how tape ends are provided for the Stringers attached to the fly strips;

Fig. 1'4` is a plan view of both the inner and outer iiy Strips having attached thereto appropriate length stringers with tape ends', resulting from the method illustrated in Figs; 11, 12 and 13;

Fig. l5 isa perspective view of a device for providing tape ends, or removing fastener elements, Said device also including means for transversely cutting the fastener;

Fig; 16 isa partial: perspective view of the die constituting'a part of the device Shown in Fig. l5;

Fig. 1'7v is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the manner in which aV slide fastener is positioned in the die preparatory to the removal of a segment of fastener elements; and

Fig; 18'l is a view Similar to Fig. 17 Showing the manner which the fastener elements are removed to provide the desired tape end.

In all. formsv of the invention generically, the tape of a Slide: fastener Stringer S of continuous length (which mayv also be one' of a pair of interlocked stringe'rs S andV S) is*A attached toV a Series of Similar y strips (generally thereby connect the strips The Stringer is cut transversely intermediate adjacent ily strips, and a segment of fastener elements is lremoved from the stringeropposite the bottom portion of each a tape end on the attached Stringer.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. l to 4, a Slide fastener Stringer S of continuous or substantially endless length is attached to a Series of similar ily strips F, as by a line or lines of stitching 20. The continuous Stringer S is unwound from a roll, or taken up from a container, which is kept adjacent the Sewing machine (not shown), and fed into the Sewing machine over the ily strips. The operator feeds the ily strips, those illustrated being outer ily strips and designated Fo, Fo', Fo, etc., into the machine so that the top edge 22 of a second ily strip immediately follows the bottom edge 24 of a preceding ily Strip. The ily strips are connected to each other in substantially abutting or end to end relation by means of the unbroken line or lines of stitching 2li through the continuous length of Stringer and the adjoining ily strips.

The Slide fastener Stringer S may be of any well-known variety, and comprises a tape Z6 having a beaded edge 2S (Fig. 4) about which the interlockable fastener elements 30 are clamped or Secured in spaced relation. The beaded edge 28 may be formed by sewing cords upon opposite edges of the tape 26, or the beaded edge may be formed in the process of weaving the tape, as is well-known in the art. The fastener elements 30 are disposed on the tape edge of the Stringer S throughout its length without any gap spaces between groups of elements. If the tape is made of a thermoplastic or heat-Sealable material, the continuous Stringer may be attached to the ily strips by -a heat-sealing device or roller.

After a suitable run of ily strips now connected to each other by means of the continuous Stringer S, the Stringer S is cut transversely between each pair of adjoining ily strips. Thus, each fly Strip is provided with a matching length of Stringer attached thereto. To provide the requisite tape ends on each Stringer attached to a fly Strip, the bottom portion of each ily Strip is folded back (meaning downward and outward to the left as Shown in Figs. 2 and 3), and a short segment of the fastener elements 30 (approximately three-quarters of an inch in length in common practice) is removed from the edge of the tape 26 to provide a tape end 32.

In the preferred form of the invention, the removal of fastener elements to provide the desired tape end iS accomplished by cutting through the tape 26 longitudinally along a line 34 (Fig. 4) near that edge of the tape carrying the fastener elements. The cut is made closely behind the legs of the fastener elements. A short transverse cut also is made along a line 36, shown in Fig. 3, which extends from the extreme beaded edge of the tape to the cutting small group of fastener elements together with the Section of the beaded edge carrying the same.

Instead of removing the small group of fastener elements after the continuous Stringer cut between adjacent ily Strips, the `elements may be removed prior to the transverse cutting with its consequent separation of the ily strips. lf they are done separately, either may be done first. It iS preferred, however, to simultaneously remove the fastener elements and to Separate the ily strips, both being done in a single cutting operation. In this manner the transverse cut across the entire width of the tape between ily Strips serves also to complete the line of cutting, parallel to the cutting line 36, required to remove the segment of fastener elements. This is best shown in Fig. 3.

ily strip to provide AS a result of the described procedure, each other ily strip is provided with a matching length of tape attached thereto, said tape having fastener elements substantially along the entire length of the tape, except at the bottom portion thereof where just a tape end 32 is provided. This product, which is shown in Fig. 5, is then ready to be sewn to a trouser front.

The Same procedure outlined above is carried out to provide the opposite or inner lengths of Stringer having the desired tape ends. This is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the successive strips being designated Fi, Fi', Fi, etc. Since the procedure is essentially the Same as described with respect to the outer ilies, a more detailed illustration processing the inner and outer ily strips resides in the line 34. The cutting operation removes a has been transversely of the steps in the method` is believed unnecessary. The only difference betweenorientation of the Stringer as it is sewn to the Series of With the inner ily strips, the fastener elements Sii of the Stringer S' are disposed away from the Sub- Stantially Straight edges 38 of the strips', whereas, with the outer ily strips, the Stringer S is disposed so that the fastener elements 30 are facing or adjacent the Substantially Straight longitudinal edges 40 of the strips. The folding back of the ily at the time of the cutting operation 7 is illustrated at 39 in Fig. 7.

,ily strips is then fed ily strips with appropriate ily' Strips.

preceding Strip. Also,

Another form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In this example, instead of using a Single Stringer, the Slide fastener is applied in the form of continuous chain; that is, a pair of stringers S and S the elements of which, 42 and 42', are in interlocking or meshing engagement. As shown, the tape 44 of the Stringer S is sewn to a Series of ily strips by a line or lines of Stitching 46, the ily strips illustrated being outer ily Strips designated Fo, Fo', Fo, etc. After the series of ily strips are connected to each other in abutting relationship by the unbroken line or lines of stitching 46, the chain may be cut transversely between adjacent ily strips.

Both stringers, S and S', are provided with tape ends 48 and 48 by removing a segment 50 (Fig. 9) of fastener elements from both stringers opposite the bottom portion 52 of each fly strip. Preferably, the segment 50 is removed by cutting or punching directly through the tapes 44 and 44 in substantially the Same manner as previously described with respect to Figs. l to 4. When removing the segment 50, the underlying portion of the ily strip must, of course, be folded back from under the fastener elements, as Shown at 51 at the top of Fig. 9, in order not to damage the underlying fly strip.

Instead of removing the fastener elements after or before the continuous` chain has been transversely cut between adjacent y strips, it is preferred to accomplish both of these cutting operations simultaneously. A Suitable device for performing both operations Simultaneously is shown in Figs. 15-18, and is described later.

The product resulting from the described method` is Shown to include the strip Fo in Fig. 9. The Stringer S is sewn to the Strip Fo', the unsewn Stringer S being in meshing engagement` with the Stringer S, but

having no ily Strip as yet. Both stringers, however, are already cut to the desired length, and both stringers are provided with tape ends 48 and 48. S may be Stripped or unmeshed from the Stringer S, as Shown in Fig. l0, whereupon the Stringer S may be sewn to an opposite or inner fly Strip. If desired, the Stringer `S may be left in meshing engagement with the sewn Stringer S, and in this condition the Stringer S of the assembly may be sewn to the inner ily Strip. The meshed stringers are stripped apart preparatory to sewing the Stringer-bearing fly strips to the trouser front halves. This latter variation possesses the advantage of keeping corresponding work pieces together during most of the stages of processing prior to sewing the Stringer-bearing ily strips to the trouser front halves.

Still another form of the invention is Shown in Figs. ll, l2 and 13. A continuous length of chain comprising a pair of stringers S and S having their fastener elements S4 and 54' in meshing engagement is sewn to a series of both inner and outer ily Strips before the chain is cut be- `tween strips. The Stringer S is attached to a series of ily strips, as by means of a line or lines of Stitching 56 passing 4through the stringers tape 58. The ily strips may be the outer fly strips, designated Fo, Fo', etc. (just as in the case of F1g. 8). The chain-connected series of outer inner ily strips, designated F1', Fi', etc. in Fig. l1, the inner machine in abutting end to end relation, one Strip immediately AS illustrated the top 60 of tomv edges, 64 and'66, of the outer vily strips so that one pair of outer and inner strips are sewn to the same Section ofthe continuous chain. Stringer S to the inner fly Strips Fi, Fi', etc., the outer ily Strips are individually folded back out of the path of theA machines needle as the work passes beneath the presser foot of the sewing machine, so that the line of stitching 56' will not also passthrough vthe overlying outer The resulting vproduct consists of a Seriesof outer ily strips sewn to the chains Stringer S and a series The unsewn Stringer into a sewing machine over the ily Strips are fed into the sewing4 adjacent the bottom 62 of the the topand bottom edges 6i) and 62 of each inner ily strip are aligned with the top and bot- Y In sewing the'endless meshed of :inner y'strips sewn to the chains stringer S", with the stringers ofthe chain in meshing engagement, and with each corresponding pair of inner and outer iiystrips attached to the same sectionof the continuous chain.

In the preferred form of the invention, the outer and inner fly strips are provided with tape ends by removing a segment of fastener elements adjacent the bottom portions of each pair of ily strips while the fastener elements are in interlocking or'meshing engagement. accomplished, as show nin Fig. 13, b y first iliesbeing foldedoutward to leave only the meshed chain at the center during the punching step. The mechanism of Figs. -18 preferably is'employed, the punching operation being accompaniedby -va simultaneous severance ofthe chain across'its entirewidth between the successive pairs of ily strips. The fastener elements are then disengaged or unrneshed, whereupon the-outer and inner y strips are provided withappropriate lengths ot lattached stringers having tape ends 70 and 70', as shown in Fig. 14.

It will be understood, of course, that whether the outer or inner iy strips are first attached to a continuous Stringer is a matter of choice. If one series of similar fly strips is attached to one Stringer, the other and opposite series of y strips is attached to the other Stringer.

Figs. 15 to 18 show the mechanism used in the methods of Figs. 8 to 14. This is designed to remove a segment of meshed fastener elements from a continuous length of chain and to simultaneously sever the chain across its entire width.

As shown in Fig, 16, a stationary die 72 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel cutting edges 74 and 76. The cutting edges 74 and 76 are spaced apart a distance 78 is provided between and connecting the cutting edges 74 and 76. They are preferably at right angles. A fourth cutting edge 80 is provided between the cutting edges 74 76 and substantially parallel to the cutting edge 78. The distance between the cutting edges 78 and 80 is substantially equal to the length of the tape end desired, a common dimension being three fourths of an inch. The cutting edges 74, 76, 78 and 80 are all in the same horizontal plane.

When it is desired entire The total length of the cutting edge portions 82, 80 and 84 is slightly greater than the Width of the chain (that is, the two'stringers as meshed). The die block 72 is probeing indicated at 92, 2.

A pair of work locating members or blades 94 and 96 (Fig. 17) are provided, one on each side of the cutting edges 74 and 76, respectively. The locating blades 94 and 96 extend lengthwise of, and parallel to the cutting edges 74 and 76, The blades are resiliently mounted on the die blocks to engage, hold and properly position the fastener elements which are to be removed from the continuous length of slide fastener.

The blade 94 is in the form of a small at its lower end to provide an abutment 98 on its underside adapted to engage a shoulder 100 formed on the die block. Similarly, the blade 96 is formed with an abutment 102 adapted to engage a shoulder 104 on the other side of the die block. lateral extension on each side, which may take the form of a rod 106 secured to its outer face, as by welding. extensions or rod 106 is substantially parallel to the cutting edge 74. The locating blade 96 is likewise provided plate .thickened 1 ving blades 94 and 96, as shown with an extension providing member'IGS. Thev members 106 and 108 each may be'provided with apertures near their ends to receive the ends of a springs 110 and 11.2. The springs urge the abutments 98 and 02 into engagement with the shoulders 100 and 104, respectively, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, because the outside .walls of the die slope towardone another, and the blades assume the same slope. 1n this linner position,

After positioning a segment of chain between the locatpunch, which may be a block having a simple flat presses the locating blades, as shown in Fig. 18. The tapes 124 and 124 of the stringers S and S then are exposed to the cutting edges 72, 74, 76 and 80, which act to cut or chop out a segment of meshed elements. At the saine time, in response to the punch action, the additional cutting edges 82 and 84 sever the tapes 124 and 124' transversely across their widths. ,In this manner, the chain is completely severed at the same time that the When springs 110 and 112 cause the locating blades 94 and 96 to move back to their upper locating and holding position, the flanges 98 and 102 engaging the shoulders 100 and 104 to limit the movement of and properly position the blades for workengaging position.

As an added refinement to further aid in positioning the chain in the die, the die may be provided with vertically disposed guide members 119 and 121 at each end of the cutting portions of the die. The members 119 and 121 are formed with locating grooves or tracks 123 and 125, respectively, dimensioned to receive the meshed fastener elements. The members are spaced apart further than the length of the punch 120, and do not interfere with the punch action.

A suitable press assembly for the described die block and punch is illustrated in Fig. 15.

hollow vertical standard is supported a horizontal arm The arm may be so attached to the standard 128 as to afford vertical adjustment. The arm 130 has secured thereto a bracket which is set a solenoid 134. The lower end of the core (not shown) of the solenoid is connected to the punch block 120. n aperture is provided in the horizontal arm 130 to slidably receive the shank 136. A restoring spring 138 may be disposed around the punch shank, one end bearing against the top of the 130 and the other end bearing against an insulated flange on the solenoid core. The compression spring 138 thus serves to quickly return the punch block to its upraised position. The solenoid is connected to a suitable source of current (not shown) by means of a power cord 140 extending between the solenoid and the source of current, the cord preferwardly against the die.

or clarity in illustration, only the meshed stringers have been shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the outwardly folded fly strips being omitted. It will be understood, of course, that a series of y strips is first sewn to one or both stringers as the chain strips being folded out from elements, as shown in Figs. 9 and 13.

It is believed that our improvements in the attaching of stringers (or chain) to ily strips and providing tape ends for the stringers, as well as the advantages resulting from said improvement, will be going detailed description. Closures are prepared fnr garments in a greatly improved manner, and the necessity for stocking large quantities of standard length, precut fasteners is eliminated. The desired sequence of fly strips is maintained by means of the continuous Stringer (or chain) and the work of the sewing machine operator whose task it is to prepare y strips with closures, preliminary to incorporation into a garment, is greatly simplified.

It will be apparent that while we have shown and described our invention in several preferred forms, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as sought to be defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In the manufacture of garments having an opening closure therefor provided with a slide fastener of the type comprising stringers formed of tape having spaced, interlockable fastener elements secured to an edge thereof, the method comprising attaching the tape of one of a pair of interlocked slide fastener stringers of continuous length to a series of ily strips, said y strips thereby being connected to each other in substantially end to end relation by said continuous attached Stringer, cutting both of said interlocked stringers intermediate said y strips and removing a segment of interlocked fastener elements from said stringers opposite the bottom portion of each of said fly strips by cutting off portions of both tapes along those edges to which the fastener elements are secured.

2. In the manufacture of garments having an opening closure therefor provided with a slide fastener of the type comprising stringers formed of tape having spaced, interlockable fastener elements secured to an edge thereof, the method comprising attaching the tape of one of a pair of interlocked slide fastener stringers of continuous length to a series of similar iy strips, said y strips thereby being connected to each other in substantially abutting end to end relation by said continuous attached Stringer, cutting both of said interlocked stringers intermediate sad y strips and simultaneously removing a segment of interlocked fastener elements from said stringers opposite the bottom portion of each of said ily strips by cutting off portions of both tapes along those edges to which the fastener elements are secured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 651,060 Tougas June 5, 1900 1,450,945 Furber Apr. 10, 1923 1,665,805 Walter Apr. 10, 1928 2,103,985 Jacobs Dec. 28, 1937 2,155,795 Markin` Apr. 25, 1939 2,232,332 Levy Feb. 18, 1941 2,549,496 Markin Apr. 17, 1951 2,574,351 Rohrlick et al. Nov. 6, 1951 2,623,214 Yaie Dee. 20, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 57,624 Canada June 28, 1949 

